Hours before she died, Peaches – the second daughter of Geldof and former TV presenter Paula Yates – posted a poignant picture of her as a baby with her mother, who died from a drug ­overdose in 2000 at 41.

The caption read simply: “Me and my mum.”

Singer Lily Allen led the tributes to the writer, former model and TV ­personality, who recently revealed she found the pressures of being a young mum very hard.

The singer wrote: said: “My thoughts are with Peaches’ family at this awful time. Rest in peace gorgeous girl.”

Sharon Osbourne added: ­“Devastated about Peaches. Sending condolences & respect to the Geldof family. It’s unimaginable what they must be going through right now.”

Pop star Ellie Goulding wrote: “Even if you think you’ve got it all figured out, some things still can’t be explained or ­understood. Two beautiful children. RIP Peaches.”

“So we all went to school and tried to act as if nothing had happened. But it had happened. I didn’t grieve.

“I didn’t cry at her funeral. I couldn’t express anything because I was just numb to it all. I didn’t start grieving properly until I was maybe 16.

”Peaches was seven when her mum and dad split. She told how she struggled to come to terms with the break-up.

She added: “I was completely aware of the whole situation, the transition of my mother who was amazing, who wrote books on parenting, who gave us this idyllic childhood in Kent and who then turned into this heartbroken shell of a woman who was just medicating to get through the day.

“On top of that, there was my father who was embittered and depressed.

“It was like living on a permanent see-saw and very scary and sad. Those feelings have always stayed with me, they just never went away.”

Seven weeks ago, Peaches told how Tom’s parents saw more of her children than Geldof. When asked why the former Boomtown Rats singer was not on any of her Instagram photos of the ­youngsters, she replied: “He doesn’t see them.

"It really is his loss to be honest. Thank God for Tom’s parents who are totally amazing.

“They will drop everything to come and they are so loving, have an incredible bond with both Phaedy and Astala.

“My dad has always been stubborn though and unchangeable. He will regret it one day. It is hard to accept though.”

Peaches was found dead by police when officers were called to the her £1million home “following a report of concern for the welfare of a woman”.

She and Tom – former singer in rock band S.C.U.M – swapped their life in London for the Kent countryside last year.

But in what is believed to be her last interview, just weeks before she died, Peaches admitted her children caused her to “cry with exhaustion, when they are both screaming”.

She told Mother & Baby magazine she socialised on Instagram because she “didn’t have that thing of meeting up with other mums”.

She added: and I’ve just had to sit down, breathe and be like, ‘this is hard.’ You have no time for yourself, even on the toilet - you have a baby sitting on your lap while you are having a poo, eating a sandwich at the same time.“That’s what being a mum is. It’s not easy.

It can be stressful, but it is the most rewarding thing you can do.”

But the interview ended on a positive note with Peaches being upbeat. She said: “Since I’ve had the boys, I don’t think of the world as a negative place any more.

"I have so much love. And, through my love for them, I’ve been reborn into a better, more patient person.

"I feel like an adult.”

Neighbours were yesterday left stunned by the tragedy.

One, who asked not to be named, said: “I only saw her in the local shop last week with her husband and two children.

“They seemed fine and so happy. She kept herself to herself really. She spends 90% of her time down here now.“

"They seemed to love living here. It’s so sad. I was so shocked at the news.”

Shop assistant James Cole, 24, who works at the Nisa general store in nearby Borough Green, added: “I was telling another workmate about Peaches putting a picture of her and her mum on Instagram yesterday and we both thought that was a bit spooky.

“It’s a tight-knit community here, everyone knows what’s going on and everyone is shocked about this.”

In December, Peaches revealed she thought she had seen the ghost of a woman who had given birth to a stillborn baby in her new home.

However, she said the ­atmosphere in the house was “friendly and rather maternal”.

Last night, two police forensics vans and a squad car were parked outside her home.

Officers stood guard at the driveway as teams combed the house.

Socialite Peaches was last seen at the F&F fashion show in London on Thursday, where she sat in the front row, with stars including TOWIE’s Sam Faiers and Amy Willerton.

Onlookers said she seemed in good spirits. It was a rare night out for Peaches who in recent years has embraced motherhood and generally shunned the showbiz scene.

She was previously married to rock musician Max Drummey but the pair split in 2009 after six months.

Last October, Peaches revealed her wild partying days were behind her. She said: “I feel like I grew up a lot when I had the children. It healed many things in me that were painful. When my sons were born I could be reborn as a wife and mother.

"Getting married to the right person changed me too.”

It was a far cry from her teenage years where she was repeatedly linked to drugs. In July 2008, Peaches was treated by paramedics for a suspected overdose at her home in North London.

She was believed to have been revived by a friend who gave her the kiss of life.

Peaches had two sisters from Geldof, Fifi Trixibelle, 31, and 23-year-old Pixie. She also had a half-sister, Tiger Lily, who was the daughter of Paula and the INXS singer Michael Hutchence, who died in 1997.